Cotton press



1932- R w. SWOPE Q 1,845,945

COTTON PRESS Filed Oct. 20. 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet l m; Z :jwuentoc Feb. 16,1932; R, w. 'SWQPE 1,845,945

COTTON PRESS Filed Oct. 20, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Feb. 16, 1932. R w; SWQPE 1,845,945

COTTON PRESS Filed Oct. 20. 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Feb. 16, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BOY WALTER SWOPB, OF COLUMBUS, GEORGIA; ASSIGNOB T GEN-TENNIAL COTTON GIN COMPANY, 01' COLUMBUS, GEORGIA, A CORPORATION OF GEORGIA cor-roar PRESS Application filed 0ctober 20, 1927. Serial No. 227,472.

The invention relates to new and useful improvements in cotton presses, and more particularly to a cotton press of the double ox type.

I An object of the invention is to provide a supportin structure for the boxes of the press whic is very rigid and which supports the boxes as they revolveabout the support.

A further object of the invention is to provide a supporting structure for the revolving boxes of a cotton press which ermits of an I-beam being used for supportm the boxes,

and around which said boxes may e revolved.

A further object of the invention is to pro- 16 vide a supporting structure of the above character wherein a supporting bracket is fixed to the I-beam and a supporting plate is co1 1 nected to and supports the boxes, and has 111 turn a ball-bearing support on said bracket.

These and other objects will in part be obvious and will in part be hereinafter more fully described.

In the drawings which show b way of illustration one embodiment of t e invention:

Figure 1 is a side view of a cotton press embodying the improvements.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale through a portion of the supporting bracket and the supporting plate on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fl 4 is a bottom lan view of the supporting p ate on which t e boxes are mounted.

1g. 5 is a plan view of an upper plate ]01I1- in the boxes.

lhe invention is directed to a cotton press of the type wherein double boxes are supported relative to a pressin apparatus, so that the may be positioned a ternately for filling an for pressing the baling.

The invention is directed more particular- 1y to the supporting means for the baling boxes, which includs an I-beam which is rigidly attached to the frame of the cotton press. Mounted on this I-beam is a bracket which is firmly clamped to the I-beam at a distance above the base of the frame-work of the cotton press. This bracket is preferably made the I-beam. The cotton press includes two boxes. These two boxes are mounted on suitable supporting beams which are attached to a plate having a central opening therethrough of a diameter equal to the greatest diameter of the I-bearn, so that the I-beam may pass through the opening and the plate freely revolve about the I-beam.

On the lower face of this plate ,is an annular groove or ball race, which is positioned. di-

rectly above the ball race on the bracket, and

a series of balls run in the races. This serves as the sole support for the boxes. The two boxes are joined at a point well above the suporting bracket by a plate which has an openmg therethrough for the I-beam to pass, so that the Lbeam is free from this plate.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, the cotton press is shown as including a supporting base 1 having a frame including columns 2, and an upper frame member 3a mounted on thecolumns- Also mounted in the base and rigidly carried thereby is an I- beam 3. This I-beam is likewise bolted at 4 to the upper member 3aof the frame. The I-beam joins the base and the upper member and serves as a supportin means for the inner end of the upper member 3a.

Mounted on this I-beam as a supportare two baling boxes 5 and 6. These baling boxes are joined by cross beams 7 near the bottom of the boxes, and alsoby cross beams 8. The cross beams are bolted to a supportin plate 9. This supporting plate is shown in ottom plan view in Fig. 4. Said plate includes a central opening 10 which is of a diameter so that the I-beani may extend throu h the 0 ening and be free from contact wit 1 the plate.

This plate 9 is also provided with an annular roove or race-wayll, which is formed about the same center as the inner opening 10. The plate 9 extends laterally from the central opening and thecross beams 7 are bolted to this plate, there being one for each end of the plate. The bolts for securing the cross beams to the plate 8 pass through openings 11. The beams 9 are angle iron beams, so that the vertical flange thereof may be bolted to the boxes, while the horizontal flange is bolted to the plate 9.

Fixed to the I-beam 3 is a bracket 12. This bracket 12 is made in two sections, as shown in Fig. 2 and bolted together by suitable bolts 13. The two sections of the bracket 12 when bolted together are firmly clamped and secured to the I-beam. The bolts 18, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, pass through the central web of the I-beam. In the upper face of the bracket there is an annular groove or ball race. 14:. This annular groove is centered about the center axis of the I-beam, and it is directly opposed to the annular groove or ball race 11 in the lower face oft-he plate 9. The balls 15 are placed in this ball race of the bracket and serve as a ball bearing support for the plate 9 which carries the boxes. The ball bearing support entirely surrounds the Lbeam and is at all points a suificie'nt distance out from the center of the I-beam so as to carry the load, although it is unequally distributed, as in the operation of the press one box is loaded and then moved to a position for'p-ressing, while the box which is being emptied at the pressing station is returned to the loading station.

' There is a plate 16 shown in detail in Fig.

5 which is secured by suitable bolts 17 to each nular semi-circular ball race in the upper face thereof spaced from theouter edge of the I-beam, a plate rigidly attached't'o the boxes and having an opening through which the I-beam passes, said opening being shaped so as to permitthe plate to revolve freely about the I-beam, said plate on its under face having an annular semi-circular ball race spaced from the ed e of said opening and directly above the ba 1 race in the supporting bracket, balls'running in said ball races, and.

a second plate attached to the boxes at a point well above the'bracket and having a circular opening through which the I-beam passes,

said opening being shaped so that the plate is entirely free from contact with the I- beam. v

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature.

. ROY WALTER SWOPE.

box structure. This plate 16 has'an opening l8 therethrough which is of sufiicient diameter to surround the I-beam. Any tilting of the boxes on the ball bearing support will be prevented by this plate through its engagement with the I-beam, although normally the supporting structure is sufiicient to carry the boxes with little or no tilting. This uneven load referred to above will, however, produce more or less of a lateral strain on the support for the boxes. The I-beam makes a very rigid, durable and efficient supporting means on which the boxes may revolve. Each box is provided with the swinging doors and with suitable retaining devices of the usual construction. The cotton press also includes a in the box, when it is brought over the ram, and forces the bottom up in the box, and thus it is that the cotton is carried into the baling box is very common, and further description thereof is not thought necessary.

It is obvious that minor changesin the deram 19 which engages a movable bottom 20 tails of construction and the arrangement of V parts may be made without departing from 

